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| Guinan befriends the prickly Ensign Ro. |
THE PLOT
When a Federation colony is attacked by a Bajoran separatist group, Picard is assigned to find the leader of the group and stop him from conducting further attacks, using any means at his disposal. For the purpose of this mission, he is assigned a Bajoran officer: Ensign Ro Laren (Michelle Forbes), who was disgraced after an incident that left several other officers dead years prior.
Though neither Picard nor Riker particularly want Ro on their ship, Starfleet's orders are firm. And it isn't long before Ro proves useful, steering them toward a helpful Bajoran contact and assisting Picard in negotiating with him for information. Shortly after, however, it becomes clear that Ro has her own separate agenda - one that may put the Enterprise crew in jeopardy!
CHARACTERS
Capt. Picard: Though he is resistant to the order to accept Ro on his ship, he does treat her fairly. He is up-front with her about the crew's reaction to her assignment, but (unlike Riker) he is not unnecessarily harsh. He listens to her suggestions about who to contact within the Bajoran camps, even when Ro is less than fully professional in giving her opinions. It is only when she actually appears to live down to her reputation, going against Picard's orders, that he shuts her out. Even then, his faith in Guinan quickly overcomes his stubbornness, giving him the small push he needs to listen.
Riker: Shadows of Hollow Pursuits, as Riker treats Ro harshly from the instant she arrives. He makes no secret of not wanting her on the ship. Picard supports him in demanding the highest level of performance, but Riker's attitude differs from Picard's in that he refuses to give Ro a chance. Her reputation is such that he is against her before he has even laid eyes on her - which I actually find worse than his behavior with Barclay, who at least was genuinely guilty of sustained substandard work.
Guinan: Sees Ro sitting alone at a table in Ten-Forward, rebuffing any attempts by the others to talk. This intrigues Guinan. She approaches Ro, brushes aside her attempts to push her away, and effectively forces her friendship onto the defensive Bajoran. When she pierces Ro's defenses just enough to see that there's a basically decent person underneath, Guinan declares Ro to be her friend - itself enough of an endorsement for Picard to listen to Ro against his own inclination.
Ensign Ro: The first of several appearances by Michelle Forbes as the brittle Bajoran ensign. Forbes is a solid television actress with a strong presence, and she and Michael Piller's script manage the difficult balancing act of establishing the character and giving her a central role without seeming to "hog the limelight" from the regulars. Ro has an interesting backstory, and her bitterness makes a refreshing change from the tight-knit and highly social regulars. Forbes keeps the character sympathetic even while being antagonistic. Her physical performance is particularly well-judged, with Ro's bearing (crossed arms, maintaining a physical distance from others) conveying a person who is constantly on the defensive, ready to react against threats real or perceived.
THOUGHTS
The Cardassians made a strong first impression in The Wounded, their debut episode. This builds on that, establishing the backstory of the Cardassian occupation of Bajor. Watching this episode, I could actually see the backstory for Deep Space 9 falling into place - which makes sense, given that Deep Space 9 would debut only a little more than a year after this.
It's fun, with the benefit of hindsight, to watch the pieces of the first (best) TNG-era spinoff fall into place. But Ensign Ro is also a good episode on its own. Michael Piller and Rick Berman craft an episode that works both as an introduction a new recurring character and as a self-contained story. There are enough character moments to showcase Ro's backstory, and Michelle Forbes makes the most of the opportunities in the script. At the same time, the story moves along quite briskly, building considerable momentum by the episode's midpoint.
Introducing a new character to an established series is always difficult. Many series fall into the trap of overselling the new addition at the expense of the regulars. That trap is largely avoided. Even though most of the ensemble is relegated to the background for this episode, strong roles are written for Picard and Riker. It is also key that while Ro is crucial to the successful outcome of the mission, she doesn't "save the ship while the stupid adults flail about helplessly." Instead, she goes to Picard with additional information to which he has not been privy, and he is able to handle the situation from there with his accustomed competence. Ro is shown to be resourceful and intelligent, but this is done without diminishing Picard.
In short, another good episode. Three shows in, Season Five is off to a very promising start!
Overall Rating: 8/10.
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One of my favorite episodes when I saw it on the original run. Just watched it tonight and it holds up well. Love Michelle Forbes here and of course on BSG. 6/13/2021
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